Coach’s take: “I’m hoping that we can get better as the year goes along. We’re getting used to each other. I’m just looking for us to continue to get better in all areas of the game and for the kids to play with great effort. It’s important for us to play with a lot of injury and really just focus on the fundamentals.”

Coach’s take: “We’re an extremely talented team. Jerick is the guy that makes us go. We’re very well-balanced. The key for us is defense. This team can score the ball. The important thing is whether we can become the type of defensive team that we can be. Can we defend well enough to be a championship-caliber team?”

Coach’s take: “Our guys put in a lot of work from the end of last season to the start of this season. They’re gym rats. We set the standard high. We expect to step on the floor and win every night. These guys are hungry. They want to do something that hasn’t been done at Kings Mountain in a long time.”

Coach’s take: “We want to be able to compete for the conference again. We’d like to go far into the state playoffs. We’ve got to make sure we rebound real well and make sure we’re taking good-percentage shots. They’re a good group of guys. They work hard. They listen to what we tell them, and they do it.”

Ashbrook

Record: 5-5

Of note: The Green Wave was a 3A West semifinalist and went 21-9 a season ago. But their only starter back from that team, point guard Trey Dellinger, is out for the season with a shoulder injury. Ashbrook is 1-4 against Cleveland County teams this season (1-1 vs. Crest, 0-2 vs. Shelby, 0-1 vs. Kings Mountain). But the Green Wave rides a five-game winning streak and is much improved since getting its football players involved.

East Mecklenburg

Record: 6-5

Of note: The Eagles fell 75-62 to eventual 4A state champion Olympic in the first round of last season’s playoffs. East Mecklenburg went 1-2 in the 2012 Cleveland County Holiday Classic to finish seventh. It lost to Shelby and Crest, battling back from an 18-point deficit against the Chargers but losing in overtime, before defeating Burns to close out tournament play.

Harding

Record: 4-4

Of note: The Rams reached the 3A West semifinals, where they fell to eventual state runner-up Statesville. Harding senior guard Darryl White (6-2, 180) averages 25.4 points per game, and junior guard Teyon Henry (6-2, 180) is scoring 16.9 per contest. Both have hit 16 3-pointers. Harding scored a 71-60 home victory against Holiday Classic participant East Mecklenburg on Dec. 5.

Hunter Huss

Record: 6-1

Of note: The Huskies were a 3A West finalist in 2012-13, knocking out Gaston County rival Ashbrook in the regional semifinals. Senior guard Kerrion Moore is averaging 23 points, while fellow senior guard O’Brian Curry is putting up 11.3 points per game. Hunter Huss also won the 2012 Cleveland County Holiday Classic, defeating Harding 67-52 in the championship game.